1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for setting control information such as a network address applied to a computer system in order to communicate over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following is a description of computer systems applying a conventional apparatus for setting control information, and a network system applying the computer systems with reference to FIG. 1.
A client computer 351 and a server computer 352 are connected with each other via a communication medium 353 which is optical fiber or a coaxial cable. The server computer 352 is usually connected with a plurality of such client computers. Each of the client computers 351 has its own network address such as an internet protocol(IP) address set therein so that the server computer 352 and the other client computers 351 can identify it. Also set to each of the computers is network environment setting information including a netmask and a broadcast address, and user environment setting information including the identifier of the computer, the names of registered users, and a password. (when both of the above information is referred to, it is referred to as environment setting information)
The client computer 351 is provided with the following units: an address input unit 301 for inputting its network address, an address storage unit 303 for storing the inputted network address, an information input unit 304 for inputting its environment setting information, an information storage unit 306 for storing the inputted environment setting information, a communication control unit 307 for controlling communication with the server computer 352 via the communication medium 353.
The server computer 352 holds the network addresses of all the client computers 351 to manage the entire network besides its own network address. It also has the environment setting information set therein like the client computers 351.
The server computer 352 is provided with the following units: an address input unit 308 for inputting the network address of every newly connected client computer 351 to the server computer 352, an address storage unit 309 for storing the inputted network addresses, a communication control unit 310 for controlling communication with the client computers 351 via the communication medium 353.
To connect a new client computer 351 with the network system having the above construction, setting of the network address and the environment setting information must be done as follows.
In the new client computer 351, the assigned network address is inputted from the address input unit 301 and stored in the address storage unit 303. The predetermined network environment setting information and the user environment setting information are inputted from the information input unit 304 and stored to the information storage unit 306.
In the server computer 352, the network address assigned to the client computer 351 is inputted from the address input unit 308 and stored to the address storage unit 309.
The communication control unit 310, if directed to transmit data to the client computer 351 by an application program or another program, reads the network address out of the address storage unit 309, generates a packet including transmission data and the read address, and transmits it to the communication medium 353. The communication control unit 307, when the network address contained in the received packet is identified with the network address stored in the information storage unit 303, transfers the data in the packet to the application program or the other. The communication control unit 307 also controls different communications it performs based on the network environment setting information stored in the information storage unit 306. For example, if the destination address contained in the received packet is identified with the broadcast address stored in the information storage unit 306, it is transferred to the application program or the other as the data sent to all the client computers 351.
An operation system program or another program provides the users the determined operational environment by reading out the user environment setting information stored in the information storage unit 306.
The above network system has various drawbacks as follows.
Many of the users have little knowledge of computer systems and are unaccustomed to handling the machines so that they are likely to fail in inputting serial numbers or characters correctly. This not only prevents the communication between the client computers 351 and the server computer 352, but also causes serious problems to the entire network system such as coming down of the system.
It is redundant that both the user and the supervisor of the system input the network address of the client computer 351 respectively to the same client computer 351 and to the server computer 352.
It is very hard for the unskilled users to set environment setting information by themselves.